I slept like a rock but had no trouble rising well before dawn. I was intent on taking the perfect aerial sunrise photo of the entire Monument Valley. The light was perfect and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. As I was flying my drone to the optimal vantage point, about two miles out, I lost radio contact. This is not uncommon during a distant sortie and the drone is programmed to return to home in this circumstance. Communications are generally restored after a minute or two and I generally climb to a higher altitude to increase range. On this flight, however, with every passing minute, it became apparent that my drone was not going to return. I will never know if it crashed, was attacked by a raptor, or experienced some kind of malfunction. At the time I lost signal, it was positioned over terrain that would have made recovery impossible. Adding insult to financial injury ($1,500), I had planned my entire weekend around interesting destinations for aerial photography, forcing me to change plans in real time. I decided to head to Moab by way of Mexican Hat, Valley of the Gods, Goosenecks State Park, and Natural Bridges National Monument arriving at Arches National Park in time for evening golden light.
